Bridge-rail joint



(No Model.)

B. H. BUGKINGHAM.

- BRIDGE RAIL JOINT. N0..433,616. Patented Aug. 5, 1890.

Yjl/zl'ncsgsas: Inventor? FIG 6.

. showing my invent-ion.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROSWELL H. BIIOKINGHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRIDGE-RAIL JOIN-T.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. {$33,616, dated August 5, 1890. Application filed February 10, 1890. Serial No. 339,797. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROSWELL H. BUoK- INGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bridge-Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a rail-joint of that class known as the bridge-joint, in which the joint comes between the ties, and is supported by means of a bed-plate or chair under the rails, the ends of which rest upon the ties, and the unsupported middle portion being re-enforced or arched to form the bridge.

It further consists of details of construction hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail-joint Fig. 2 is aplan View of the same looking down, part of one rail being broken away to show the bolt. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on lines 00 00, Fig. 1. Fig. a is a detail View of the plate D. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the bolt E. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the bed-plate O.

A represents the rails; B B, the ties; G, the bed-plates; D D, the plate or blocks interposed between the bolts and the rails; E E, the bolts; F, the protruding rib or fin on the bottom of the bed-plate; H H, the turnedup edges of the bed-plate. The bed-plate O is made with flat end portions 6' e, which rest upon the ties, and with the edges H II turned up in the middle and with the rib or fin F protruding from the bottom. This rib or fin has its greatest depth in the middle, half-way between the ties, and is tapered off toward each end, thus giving the plate its greatest stiffness to vertical-strain in its unsupported middle portion beneath the point where the rails join. It is made, preferably, with curved lower edge in the form of an inverted arch and hollow, being stamped out of the bottom of the plate; but Ido not wish to limit myself in this respect. The edges II II are turned up in the middle on eachside of the rail, forming a stop for the flange of the rail to prevent lateral motion and to provide a convenient bearing for the bolts, and also to stiffen the plate in the same manner as the rib F. They may be turned up the en- The bolts E E are curved so that they may be readily inserted and removed, and also to give them a certain amount of elasticity, so

that when drawn up they will exert a constant strain upon the parts and take up any slack or wear. The channel plates or blocks D D are fitted to the space between the rail and the turned-up edges of the bed-plate, having a vertical portion against the web of the rail and a flat base against the flange, and

a turned-up portion parallel with the turnedup edges of the bed-plate. Bolt-holes cl (1 and notches d d are made to correspond. with the bolt-holes in the rail and bed-plate. The portion against the web is shown as extending only part way up to the tread of the rail, affording no support for that part; and this is the construction I prefer, myintention being to receive all the downward strain of the rail upon the broad base of the flange supported upon the base-plate; but I do not wish. to limit myself in this respect.

The bolt-holes in the web of therail are made larger than the bolts, so as to permit of the necessary longitudinal movement of the rail, and also to bring the draft of the bolts upon the plates D D, and not upon the web of the rail. When the bolts are drawn up, the plates D D are pressed inward and downward against the flange, taking all the upward strain of the rail upon them. The tendency is also to draw the edges II II inward and clamp the whole tightly together. The plates D D may be made slightly smaller than the space they are int-ended to fill, allowing for variations in size of the parts, and for the drawing up of the edges. of the rail is also taken up by these plates D D, together with the turned-up edges H H.

The bed-plate O, I prefer to make of a single rectangular strip of sheet metal, stamping the hollow fin or rib out of the middle The lateral strain IOO and crimping up the edges 011 each side, which may all be done in a cheap and eflicient man ner by a single operation; but I do not wish to limit myself in this respec as the same may be made in various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bedplate, the bolts passing through said bedplate on each side of the rail and through the web of the rail, and the blocks or plates interposed between the bolts and the rail against which said bolts draw, all substantially as shown and described.

2. The herein-described bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bed-plate, the curved bolts passing through said bedplate on each side of the rail and through the web of the rail, and blocks or plates interposed between the bolts and the rail against "which said bolts draw, all substantially as shown and described.

3. The herein-described bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bed-plate having its unsupported middle portion. reenforced, the bolts passing through said plate on each side of the rail and through the web of the rail, and the blocks or plates interposed between the bolts and the rail, all substantially as shown and described.

4. The herein-described bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bed-plate having a longitudinal re-enforcing rib or fin beneath the rail, the bolts passing through said plate on each side of the rail and through the web of the rail, and the blocks or plates interposed between the bolts and the rails, all substantially as'shown and described.

- 5. The herein-described bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bed-plate having a longitudinal re-enforcing rib or fin beneath the rail, said rib or fin tapering oft toward each end, with its greatest depth in the middle, the bolts passing through said plate 011 each side of the rail and through the web of the rail, and the blocks or plates interposed between the bolts and the rail, all substantially as shown and described.

6. The 'l1GlGl11-Cl6SC1lb6Cl bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bed-plate having its edges turned up on each side of the flange of the rail, the bolts passing through said turned-up edges and through the web of the rail, and the blocks or plates interposed between the bolts and the rail, all substantially as shown and described.

7. The herein-described bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bed-plate having its edges turned up on each side of the flange of the rail in its middle portion, and the flat portion at each end to rest upon the ties, the bolts passing through said turnedup edges and through the web of the rail, and the blocks or plates interposed between the bolts and the rail, all substantially as shown and described.

8. The herein-described bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bed-plate having its unsupported middle portion reenforced and its edges turned up on each side of the flange of the rail, the bolts passing through the turned-up edges and through the web of the rail, and the blocks or plates interposed between the bolts and the rail, all substantially as shown and described.

9. The herein-described bridge-rail joint, consisting of the combination of the bed-plate 0, having the re-enforcing fin F, the flat end portions 6 e, and the edges H H turned up in the middle, the bolts E E, and the plates D D, all substantially as shown and described.

10. In a bridge-rail joint, the herein-described bed-plate, consisting of the flat end portions 6 e, the turned-up edges H H, and the re-enforcin g fin F tapered oit toward each end and of greatest depth at its middle point.

11. In a bridge-rail j oint,- the herein-described bed-plate, consisting of a sheet-metal plate 0, having the flat end portions e e, the edges H H crimped up in the middle on each side of the rail, and the hollow re-enforcing fin F stamped out of the middle portion, all substantially as shown and described.

ROSWELL II. BUCKINGHAM. Witnesses:

F.'J. LEMOYNE,

LoUIs V. LEMoYNn. 

